Our data collection transformation work seeks to rebalance the Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) data collection activity significantly toward wider, more integrated use of administrative and other non-survey data sources, thereby reducing our reliance on large population and business surveys.
The programme is an important enabler of the UK Statistics Authority’s strategy and will be delivered through five workstreams:
- moving survey data collection online, changing existing processes so that survey data is predominantly collected using online methods rather than existing use of paper, telephone and face-to-face interviews; non-online methods would only be used where there is an exceptional reason to do so
- survey and administrative data integration will allow us to make greater use of existing non-survey sources and reduce the size of remaining survey samples and the number of variables that require a survey response
- moving to generic, shared IT systems; integrating our systems so that we have common platforms, for example, having a single online collection tool
- business and social survey rationalisation, bringing surveys together so that we only ask for a piece of data once, regardless of context
- field force modernisation of contracts and procurement of census services